Seekersplants that will decorate the garden in winter , usually evergreen shrubs - coniferous or deciduous, maintaining their foliage throughout the year. Often mentioned are also plants whose winter ornaments are colorful and long-lasting fruit on the shoots or the few plants that bloom in this atypical period. Meanwhile, thetrees and shrubs with elaborately twisted branchesare completely underestimated, and their beauty becomes evident just after shedding their leaves. Here aresuggestions for plants that will diversify our winter garden with unusual shapes of shoots
In the leafless period, Babylonian willow 'Tortuosa' is adorned with unusually twisted stems
Among trees and shrubs with crowns with fabulously twisted shoots, willows undoubtedly take the lead. Perhaps the most famous example isBabylonian willow(Salix babylonica), sometimes also called Manchurian willow (Salix matsudana). Its twisted branches can often be found in flower shops in spring, they are eagerly used for dry bouquets and in floral compositions. The most common cultivation in gardens isBabylonian willow 'Tortuosa'It is a tree with a narrow crown, which can reach 4 to 8 m in height and about 4 m in width. Its twisted branches are yellow. During the growing season, lanceolate, also twisted leaves look attractive. The plant should grow in a sunny place. Its soil requirements are low, but in severe winters the shoots may freeze. Therefore, it should only be planted in warmer parts of the country.
"If the above mentioned willow is too big for our garden, choose a much smaller onewillow and &39;Curly Locks&39;(Salix caprea &39;Curly Locks&39;). The name of the variety, which can be translated as curly hair or curly curls, speaks for itself. Its original twisted stems hang down to the ground, giving the plant an interesting, hanging shape. It is most often sold as a form grafted on a trunk and its target height depends on the height of the rootstock. It grafts on trunks up to 2.5 m high. In March, before the leaves develop, the plants appear silvery, then golden-yellow at the base. Therefore, it is attractive both because of its ornamental shoots, flowers and habit. Low soil requirements, full frost resistance and small size of the plant make it fit perfectly into any home garden. "
During the growing season, the willow of 'Tortuosa' also features twisted, decorative leaves
" The twisted shoots of some varieties of hazel are equally attractive to willows. Hazel (Corylus avellana) &39;Contorta&39; is a large shrub (height up to 5 m) with a dense umbrella-like crown and strongly twisted shoots, even in a corkscrew. The leaves are also twisted. And even before the leaves appear, in February and March, decorative flowers appear in the form of yellow-colored catkins. It is an undemanding plant with regard to the type and moisture of the soil, but it performs best in alkaline soils. It can grow both in a sunny position and in partial shade. Its additional advantage is the edible fruit - hazelnuts, which, however, bear little. It will best decorate our home garden when we plant it as a solitaire in a well-exposed place. "
The shootshazel 'Red majestic'(Corylus 'Red Majestic' PBR) are also twisted. In fact, it can be described similarly to the 'Contorta' variety - it is also a shrub with an umbrella-shaped crown, growing up to 5 m in height, it blooms at the same time and also produces few nuts, it is also very undemanding and fully frostproof.However, it is distinguished by the red color of the leaves.
The common hazel 'Contorta' has extremely twisted shoots
Another suggestion isrobinia acacia 'Tortuosa'(Robinia pseudoacacia 'Tortuosa'). It is a small tree with a narrow crown (reaching 4 - 8 m high and 4 m wide), spirally twisted yellowish branches and twisted, lanceolate leaves. It requires a sunny location, but is tolerant of soil, humidity and air pollution in cities. The only remark - in cold winters, young shoots can freeze, so let's not plant this plant in the north-eastern part of the country.
Owners of small gardens should also be interested in the common beech 'Tortuosa Purpurea' (Fagus sylvatic a 'Tortuosa Purpurea'). It is a small tree with an irregular umbrella-like crown and wide-spread, twisted branches, arranged horizontally and drooping at the ends.It grows slowly. During 10 years of cultivation, its size should not exceed 0.8 m in height and 1.2 m in width, and ultimately it can grow up to 3 m in height and slightly over 4 m in width. Although the picturesquely bent shoots of this plant are the most attractive, the leaves also provide an interesting spectacle - in spring they are purple-red, in summer they turn purple-green, and in autumn, just before falling, they turn into shades of brown and red.
The described variety of the common beech tolerates shading well and copes with urban air pollution. Unfortunately, it has high soil requirements. The soil must be fertile, airy, loamy or sandy loam, moist, preferably alkaline. The plant does not tolerate drought and heat as well as severe frosts, and spring frosts can damage developing leaves. Like Robinia, it should not be planted in the northeastern part of the country.
In the leafless state, the twisted branches of the Japanese sofora, also known as pearl or shupine, look very beautiful
When looking for a less demanding plant, it is worth paying attention torowanberry 'Pendula'(Sorbus aucuparia 'Pendula'). It is a tree with an irregular crown and heavily twisted, twisted shoots. Its height depends on the height of grafting, usually the target plant reaches 2 to 3 m in height. However, the crown can be much wider. In addition to an interesting habit, the plant is also decorated with feathery leaves that turn yellow-orange in autumn nicely, and very decorative, red fruits.Rowan is best planted individually in well-exposed places. It can grow in full sun and partial shade, has low soil and moisture requirements, and tolerates various types and pH of soils. Similarly to the above-mentioned variety of beech, it tolerates urban conditions and air pollution well, so the Rowan 'Pendula' is eagerly planted in parks, estate plantings and home gardens.
I would like to close the list of plants with twisted stems withJapanese sofora(Sophora japonica), also referred to as: Chinese sofora, Japanese pearl or Japanese shupin.It is a very showy tree, reaching up to 25 m in height, with a wide, spreading crown. In addition to the attractive habit and shoots (the young are green with white spots), the pinnate leaves of the sofora, similar to the leaves of robinia, also look attractive. It is also worth noting that due to the unusual flowering time (from July to August), its white-cream flowers are a valuable beekeeping resource. It is a tree with low moisture requirements and resistant to drought, well tolerating soil salinity, suitable for planting in cities. However, it requires fertile, humus, rather clay soils, with an alkaline pH. It is also not fully frost-proof and it is worth planting only in the western part of Poland.
